The Malecón (officially Avenida de Maceo) is a broad

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

, roadway, and

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation, ...

that stretches for 8 km (5 miles) along the coast in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, from the mouth of

Havana Harbor Havana Harbor is the port of Havana, the capital of Cuba, and it is the main port in Cuba. Other port cities in Cuba include Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Manzanillo, Cuba, Manzanillo, and Santiago de Cuba. The harbor was created from the natural Havan ...

in Old Havana, along the north side of the

Centro Habana Centro Habana is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. A chinatown - ''Barrio Chino'' - is also located here. It is a smaller municipality of Havana, and it has the highest population dens ...

neighborhood and the

Vedado Vedado (, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Centro Habana, Cuba, Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar, Havana, Mir ...

neighborhood, ending at the mouth of the Almendares . It was built to protect Havana from the sea, in particular the 'frentes frios' that whipped up the waves against the facades of the buildings on San Lazaro.

History

Construction of the Malecón began in 1901, during temporary U.S. military rule."", Tania Díaz Castro, 26 March 2010, ''Primavera Digital'' The main purpose of building the Malecón was to protect Havana from the sea. To celebrate the construction of the first 500m section of the Malecón, the American government built a roundabout at the intersection of Paseo del Prado. According to architects of the period it was the first roundabout in Cuba to be constructed with steel-reinforced concrete. Bands played Cuban melodies there every Sunday. The Miramar Hotel was built in front of the roundabout. It was the first hotel in Cuba where the waiters wore tuxedos (dinner jackets) and vests (

waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit) or vest ( US and Canada) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wea ...

s) with gold buttons, and it was very fashionable for the first 15 years of independence. Today, the Royalton Habana hotel is located on this site. Subsequent Cuban governments continued the extension of the first section of the Malecón. In 1923, it reached the K and L streets in

, where the

United States Embassy The United States has the second largest number of active diplomatic posts of any country in the world after the People's Republic of China, including 272 bilateral posts (embassies and consulates) in 174 countries, as well as 11 permanent miss ...

was built, near the José Martí Sports Park and, further out, the mouth of the

Almendares River The Almendares River is a river that runs for 47 km in the western part of Cuba. It originates from the east of Tapaste and flows north-west into the Straits of Florida. The river acts as a water supply for Havana Havana (; ) is the cap ...

. In 1957 and 1958, the roadway served as the venue of the

Cuban Grand Prix The Cuban Grand Prix, also known as the Havana Grand Prix, was a sports car motor race held for a brief period in the late 1950s in Havana, Cuba, last raced in 1960. The 1958 race is best remembered as the backdrop to the kidnapping of Formul ...

Stages of completion

* In 1901 and 1902, from the Paseo del Prado to Calle Crespo * Between 1902 and 1921 as far as the Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine * Between 1927 and 1930 extension along the banks of the entrance to the bay * Until 1930 from La Piragua to the Avenida de los Presidentes (calle G) * Between 1948 and 1952 to the mouth of the

Today

The Malecón continues to be popular among Cubans. It also provides a source of food for poorer families who fish there at night. In addition, it is used for prostitution in Cuba with women and men providing sexual services to tourists. Although the houses lining the Malecón are mostly in ruins, the Malecón remains one of the most spectacular and popular destinations in Havana.

Points of interest

There are a number of important monuments along the Malecón, including those to General Máximo Gomez,

Antonio Maceo Lt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales (June 14, 1845December 7, 1896) was a Cuban general and second-in-command of the Cuban Liberation Army, Cuban Army of Independence. Fellow Cubans gave Maceo the nickname "The Bronze Tit ...

, General

Calixto García Calixto García y Íñiguez (August 4, 1839 – December 11, 1898) was a Cuban general in three Cuban uprisings, part of the Cuban War for Independence: the Ten Years' War, the Little War, and the War of 1895, itself sometimes called the C ...

, and the Monument to the Victims of the USS ''Maine''. At the intersection of 23rd Street, the Malecón marks the northeast end of the La Rampa section of 23rd Street,

. In the Plaza de la Dignidad is a statue of

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

and in front of the Embassy of the United States, the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Platform. Significant buildings include the

Castillo de la Real Fuerza The Castillo de la Real Fuerza (Castle of the Royal Force) is a bastion fort on the western side of the harbour in Havana, Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), ...

, the Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta, Malecón 17 (Las Cariátides) and the

Hotel Nacional "Hotel Nacional" ("National Hotel") is a song by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan. It was released as the second single from her studio album '' Miss Little Havana'' (2011). Written by Estefan, the song portrays the need to dance, g ...

. There were several buildings, monuments, and geographical features that were a part of Barrio de San Lázaro including the Torreón de San Lázaro, La Casa de Beneficencia, Hospital de San Lázaro, the Espada Cemetery, the Casa de Dementes de San Dionisio, the Quarry of San Lázaro, the Batería de la Reina, the Santa Clara Battery, and Hill of Taganana, among others.

In popular culture

The Malecón has served as an inspiration for several

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

names, including the "Malecón cocktail" by John Escalante that can be traced back to his 1915 Cuban cocktail guide, ''Manual Del Cantinero''.

Gallery

File:Malecon entre Calcel y Genios.png, Malecon entre Carcel y Genios, ca, 1955. File:Havana10.JPG, Residences along the Malecón File:Hotel nacional habana.jpg,

Hotel Nacional de Cuba The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic architecture, Spanish eclectic style hotel in Havana, Cuba, opened in 1930. Located on the sea front of Vedado district, it stands on Taganana Hill, offering commanding views of the sea an ...

overlooking the Malecón File:Jumping off the Malecon in Havana Cuba.jpg, Jumping off the Malecón with the

Morro Castle Morro Castle may refer to: Fortress * Morro Castle (Havana), a fortress guarding Havana Bay, Cuba * Castillo San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro (English language , English: Promontory Castle of Saint Philip), most commonly known ...

in the background File:Malecon, Havana.JPG, Malecon, Havana File:20240214 Malecon de Habana.jpg

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malecon, Havana Streets in Havana Buildings and structures in Havana Waterfronts Tourist attractions in Havana